Thames21 announce first ever national public training day

Monday 24 November 2008 | 10.00am – 4.00pm

Fishmongers’ Hall, London Bridge, EC4R 9EL

FREE to attend

Thames21 – London’s leading waterways charity – will deliver its first training day this November to individuals from every corner of the UK.

The training day will seek to equip all attendees with the necessary skills, knowledge and inspiration to make a difference to their local waterways. The day has been made possible by the Keep Britain Tidy 'Big Tidy Up Campaign' and will be FREE to all attendees.

With over 14 years of experience in running volunteer clean-up events, Thames21 is considered by many to be the natural authority when it comes to encouraging community engagement with local waterways, regularly working with around 4,000 volunteers each year on London's waterways. This training day will provide an opportunity for the very first time for Thames21 to share with others the knowledge and expertise gathered over this time.

Staff and supporters of Thames21 will be delivering sessions throughout on the day that will cover the following areas:

Site selection

How to select a site with reference to access requirements for volunteers and for the debris removal

Risk Assessments

Ensure that you have carried out a full risk assessment for your clean-up event, accounting for all appropriate risks

Health and Safety

How to brief your volunteers, prepare for events and deal with any emergency procedures necessary

Leadership and promotion

How to promote your event, appeal for volunteers and motivate them during the clean-up

Additional sessions throughout the day will include involving disabled volunteers, art workshops using recycled materials and wildlife habitat protection and creation.

Debbie Leach, Chief Executive, Thames21 comments:

"Thames21 coordinate around 4,000 volunteers every year at around 100 one-off as well as on-going projects in and around London. This Training Day is a fantastic opportunity for us to share our experience and knowledge gained from these events with people from all over the UK. We hope that the training day will inspire people to replicate the work we do in waterway areas across the country, not only improving them for wildlife but also making them areas for people to enjoy and appreciate."

Louise Marsden, Keep Britain Tidy, comments:

"Keep Britain Tidy fully supports the fantastic work being done by Thames21 to clean-up our waterways and we are delighted to be working with them as part of the Big Tidy Up. This training day is a great opportunity for volunteers to gain the skills needed to organise a safe and successful clean-up. The Big Tidy Up has so far been a huge success and people can still get involved and organise their own clean-up by registering at www.thebigtidyup.org." (Opens in a new window).

Anyone interested in helping regenerate their waterway areas, regardless of location in the UK, are encouraged to register to attend the FREE Thames21 Big Tidy Up Training Day online, at www.thames21.org.uk (opens in a new window).

Further information:

Thames21 is an environmental charity (reg number 1103997) working to bring London’s waterways to life. Dirty rivers and canals reduce the quality of life for all, harm and kill wildlife, damage the environment and drive people away from vital open spaces. London’s rivers and canals are precious natural resources providing green spaces for urban communities and habitats for wildlife. Each year, with the help of around 4,000 volunteers, Thames21 removes over 1,000 tonnes of harmful litter from the River Thames, its tributaries and the canal network.

Thames21 is supported by, and works closely with, the Port of London Authority, Thames Water, Environment Agency, Corporation of London, Encams and British Waterways.

Founded over 50 years ago, Keep Britain Tidy remains totally committed to working for the improvement of local environmental quality. An environmental charity which campaigns directly to the public, Keep Britain Tidy is grant funded by the Government through the Department For Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). It runs the Eco-Schools programme and administers the Blue Flag beach awards in England.